The Expansion of the Early Islamic State

This volume presents a selection of the key studies in which leading scholars attempt to explain the phenomenally rapid expansion of the early Islamic state during the 7th century CE. The articles debate the causes for the conquest movement or expansion, the reasons for its success, its nature and the impact it had on the countries affected by it, and the complex questions surrounding the sources on which historians have constructed their views of the expansion, and the reliability (or lack of it) of those sources. The editor's introduction addresses the phenomenon of the expansion and how scholars have approached it. About the Author: Fred M. Donner is Professor of Near Eastern History at the University of Chicago, USA